


Coffee Shop

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-10
Updated: 2019-10-10
Packaged: 2020-11-28 18:40:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20971202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Alex visits the coffee shop that Jack works at to find him sick.





	Coffee Shop

**Author's Note:**

> This is a high school AU.

“Bye mom, I’ll be back later!” Alex shouted before walking out the front door. During the school day the day before, he’d noticed that Jack hadn’t been his usual fun, energetic self. He was really quiet, and just looked kind of down, leading Alex to think that Jack was sad about something. He didn’t ask him in school, since he hadn’t put together all of the pieces until the end of the school day. He decided not to text him about it, just to give him a night to himself that he probably needed.   
It was now Saturday morning, and Alex knew that Jack would be at work. He worked at a nearby Starbucks from ten to two every Saturday, and quite a bit during the week as well. He didn’t love the job, but he needed it to pay for his bills and expenses. Alex thought Jack might cheer up some if he stopped by for a bit, so he got into his car and drove over to the Starbucks.   
He parked in the front of the building and went inside. When he first walked in, he saw Jack at the register helping a customer. When he got closer, he was a bit surprised by Jack’s appearance. Jack was wearing a thick hoodie, his face was pale, with the exception of his face and nose, and he had dark circles under his eyes.  
“That’ll be five sixty-seven,” Jack said in a raspy voice. After giving the customer her change, he let out a loud sneeze, making the lady grimace. He quickly made her drink, then she walked out. When he got back to the register, he was surprised to see Alex.  
“What’re you doing here?” Jack asked, coughing some.  
“I should be asking you the same thing. You don’t sound too good, dude,” Alex replied, feeling bad for his friend.  
“Yeah, I know. So do all of the customers I’ve helped in the past hour. Seriously though, what’re you doing here?” Jack asked.  
“Well, I noticed that you were being really quiet in school yesterday and looked kind of down. I thought you were sad or upset about something, so I came here to cheer you up some. I guess I was a bit wrong,” Alex explained.  
“That’s really kind of you, Alex. But I was quiet because of how terrible I felt. Today isn’t much better,” Jack replied.  
“Yeah, I can tell, you seem pretty miserable. Why didn’t you just call in?” Alex continued.  
“I can’t dude. My car is fucked up, and I need the money to get it fixed,” Jack explained, coughing into his arm.  
“Oh, okay, I’m sorry to hear that. Wait, if your car is messed up, how’d you get here?” Alex asked.  
“I had to walk. I barely missed the bus, and none of my family could take me,” Jack said.  
“Damn dude, that’s like a twenty-minute walk from here,” Alex replied.  
“Yeah, it sucked and really wore me out,” Jack replied.  
“I bet. So, there’s really no way you can leave?” Alex asked.  
“No dude. I need the money, and a couple other people actually called in, so it’s just me and the person in drive through. No one else comes in until I leave at two,” Jack explained.   
“You know what, that’s only like three hours from now. I’ll stay here with you until then,” Alex decided, sitting on a barstool at the counter by the register.  
“I couldn’t ask you to do that, man. That’s a long time to be here, doing nothing,” Jack said, blowing his nose.  
“No, it’s fine. I don’t have anything else I have to do today. I’ll just sit here, drink some coffee, and keep you company,” Alex decided.  
“Well, thank you, Alex. That means a lot,” Jack said with a small smile.  
“No problem dude,” Alex replied. Suddenly, about ten people walked in and got in line. Jack groaned, then went back to the computer. He took all ten orders, then processed all of the payments.   
“This may take a bit, because I’m the only one working right now,” Jack said, lightly coughing into his arm. It took him about ten minutes to get all of the drinks made. He coughed a lot while making them, and Alex could see the disgusted looks on the customers’ faces. Once they all finally had their drinks and left, Jack put his head on the counter, and had a coughing fit.  
“I hate this,” he muttered.  
“I just had an idea!” Alex exclaimed.  
“Is it some way for me to make money but not work here?” Jack asked sarcastically.  
“Kind of. So, you have to be here because no one else comes in until you leave, right?” Alex asked.  
“Unfortunately,” Jack replied.  
“Why don’t we switch places? I’ll work behind the counter, doing what you’re supposed to do, and you can just sit and rest until your shift ends and I can take you home,” Alex proposed.  
“I don’t know man, that’s technically unpaid labor. I couldn’t ask you to work for three hours for free,” Jack said, sneezing.  
“I don’t give a shit about the money. You clearly need it, but you shouldn’t be working right now. Come on, show me how to do stuff,” Alex said, hopping over the counter. The two of them walked over to the computerized register.  
“Well, the drinks are all on here by category. If people want shit added into their drink, you-“ Jack cut himself off by having a coughing fit. Alex rubbed Jack’s back until it finally went away.  
“Sorry. As I was saying, go to customize and you’ll see all of the add-in shit. There’s a big recipe book for all of the drinks on the counter,” Jack explained.  
“This doesn’t seem too bad. Now, give me your apron and go sit down. Do you want me to make you some tea?” Alex offered.  
“I’d love that,” Jack replied, handing off his apron to Alex. After finding the tea bags, Alex put one and some hot water into a cup and gave it to Jack.  
“Thanks, dude. You made it good,” Jack said.  
“Well, I’d certainly hope so. It’s literally a tea bag and some hot water,” Alex said laughing. Seconds later, a customer walked in.  
“Hey, what can I get for you?” Alex asked her.  
“Can I get a mocha with almond milk?” she asked.  
“Absolutely, give me a second to key that in for you. I’m a bit new,” Alex replied, finding all of the options he needed.  
“Well, I bet you’re going to do great,” she said, handing Alex her money. Once that was done, he started on her drink. It took him longer than it would’ve taken Jack, but he gave it to her when he was finally finished.  
“This is great, thank you. You have a great day!” the customer said, before walking out of the store.  
“See? I’ve got this barista thing down! At least, I can for two more hours,” Alex said confidently.  
“It certainly seems like you do. Hopefully it won’t get too busy,” Jack replied.  
“Hopefully, but don’t worry about me. You focus on relaxing and resting, and I’ll figure all of this out,” Alex replied.  
“I’ll try. Thanks, dude,” Jack said with a small smile.  
“No worries, man. If you want more tea after you’re out of that, let me know,” Alex said. Jack just gave him a thumbs up in reply.   
Overall, Alex did a pretty good job as a temporary barista. He did have a couple people think that he was taking too long on the drinks, but most people were respectful of the fact that he was still ‘training’. At ten to two, Jack walked over to Alex.  
“Hey, we should switch back before my co worker gets here. I don’t want her to see you behind the counter and get us in trouble,” Jack explained.   
“Okay, I’ll just wait in the car for you. I’m parked right out front,” Alex explained.   
“Sounds good, I’ll be out in a few,” Jack said, lightly coughing. Alex gave Jack back his apron, then went to his car. After he turned it on, he texted his mom to let her know that he would probably end up staying the night at Jack’s. He wanted to take care of his friend as much as he could, so he figured that this made the most sense. A few minutes later, Jack walked out and got in the passenger seat.  
“Man, I’m worn out,” Jack said, sneezing.  
“I bet. You’ve felt warm earlier, so let’s get you home so you can get plenty of rest,” Alex decided. The ride to Jack’s was short and mostly silent. Once they got to his house, Alex helped his friend inside.  
“Why don’t you change into comfier clothes, and I’ll set up a comfy spot for you on the couch?” Alex suggested.  
“Sounds good,” Jack said, before walking to his room. Alex grabbed some blankets and pillows for the tow of them and put them on the couch. Jack had a giant sectional with a middle piece that made the couch like a large bed, which worked out perfectly with Alex’s setup idea. He grabbed both of them water, and some medicine for Jack. He set it out in the living room, and Jack walked out, now wearing sweats.  
“Here, I got you some water and medicine. You sit on this side,” Alex instructed, helping Jack get comfortable.  
“Thanks, dude. Is the other side for you? I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay or anything,” Jack said, taking the medicine.   
“Yeah, it’s for me. Actually, I decided that I wanted to stay the night, so you have some company and someone to take care of you,” Alex explained, kicking off his shoes and sitting next to Jack.  
“That sounds awesome, thank you so much, Alex,” Jack replied.  
“No problem dude,” Alex said, turning on the TV, then channel surfing.   
“Hey man, thank you so much for what you did for me back at work. You really saved my ass, and I’ll finally be able to get my car fixed once I get that check,” Jack said, sneezing.  
“Of course, Jack. I’m glad that I could help you out,” Alex replied with a smile.  
“Are you sure you don’t want any of the money when I get paid?” Jack continued.  
“No man, you need it more than I do. The fact that I was able to help you out is payment enough for me,” Alex said, making Jack smile.  
“You’re the best friend ever, thanks. I really owe you one,” Jack replied.  
“You’re more than welcome. Thanks for helping me out when I need it, too. Now, why don’t we watch a movie?” Alex asked.  
“Let’s do that,” Jack replied. They ended up watching Shrek, since there wasn’t much else on that they really wanted to see. Jack fell asleep eventually, and Alex stayed there for when he’d wake up again. Alex spent the night, doing everything he could to help Jack feel better. Jack didn’t know what he did to deserve such a wonderful friend like Alex in his life, but he was grateful for his friendship.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I wrote this about a month ago, and I'm finally posting it! I really liked it when I originally wrote it, and I hope you do, too! Send in requests if you have them, I'm open to basically anything, and would love to write your ideas! Lots of love, Liv.


End file.
